Corn-husking and fodder-shredding machine.



Patented Dec. 30, [902.

B. .H. 'LAWTEB. CUBNHUSKING AND FDDDER SHREDD ING MACHINE.

(Application filed m 21. 1902.;

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Nb. 7l6. 9D5. Patented D60. 30, 1902.

B. H; LA WTER. CORN HUSKING AND FODDER SHBEDDING'MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 21. 1902.1 (NoMod m 2 ShBels-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

- I BY r f 1 A ORNEY.

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UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN H. LAWTER, OF N EVVOASTLE, INDIANA, AS SIGNOR TO SAFETYSHREDDER (30., OF NEWCASTLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

CORN-HUSKlNG-AND FOIDDQER-SHREDDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No.716,90,5, dated December30, 1902. Application filed January 21, 1902- Serial No. 90,684:- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. LAWTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New-l castle, in the county ofHenry and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gorn-Husking and Fodder-Shredding Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates especially to that class of machines whichare used in sepa rating the ears of corn from the stalks,l1usking saidears, and converting the stalks and husks into fodder, such as are shownand described, for example, in Letters Patent of the United States No.577,466, dated February 23, 1897, and No. 627,547, dated June 27, 1899,which were issued upon the application of Freeman M. Teeguarden; and itconsists especially in a new and improved mechanism for keeping the earsof corn and husks in mo;

tion, and thus accelerating and rendering more certain the huskingoperation all as will be hereinafter more particularly described andclaimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof andon which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure 1is a side elevation of a machine provided with a mechanism of the char-0 actor in question embodying my said invention; Fig. 2, a centrallongitudinal vertical section through so much thereof as illustrates themechanism involved in said invention and theimmediatelyadjacent parts;Fig. 3, a plan view of said mechanism and the parts below it; Fig. 4, atransverse vertical sectional view as seen when looking in the directionindicated by the arrows from the dotted line 4: 4: in Fig. 2;, and Fig.5, a detail sectional View, 0 on an enlarged scale, of a fragment of oneof the finger-carrying bars and one. of the fingers attached thereto,showing the construction thereof more plainly.

As above stated, the machine, generally 5 speaking, is of the typeillustrated in the Teeguarden Patents Nos. 577,466 and 627,5i7 andembodies the feeding-conveyers l0 and 11, the snapping-rolls 12 and 13,a shredding-cylinder 14, the concave 15, and a series of pairs ofhusking-rolls 16 and 17. These, as well as other parts of the machinenot mentioned, not

being peculiar to my present invention, will not be further describedherein, except incidentally in describing said invention.

In machines of this character, where no means for accelerating themovement of the corn ears and husks is provided, the movement thereofdown the husking-rolls is apt to be sluggish, and frequently saidbushing-rolls become clogged, especially where the corn- 6o husks arewet, and considerable attention is required to keep the machine incontinuous operation and doing efficient'work. My invention is designedto overcome these difficulties and consists in means for keeping thecorn ears and husks in motion after they leave the feeding devices andsnapping-rolls and pulling them out from between the huskingrolls incase they become jammed therein.

Upona rock-shaft 20 I mount rigidly a serise of fingers 21, which extendforward so as (when in operation) to pass into the path of the corn asit falls from the snapping-rolls and force the same down along thebasking-rolls.

A connectingarm or rod 22 is also rigidly mounted on the rock-shaft 20and extends back to and is mounted upon a crank-wrist 23 on the wheel24, which in turn is mounted on a shaft 25 and is driven bya suitablepower connection from any desired point on the ma 8o chine. Therock-shaft 20 is pivotally mounted in the upper ends of the swingingstandards '26, which are mounted at their lower ends on pivots 27,carried on the framework.

The movement of the fingers 21 which re- 8 suits from this connection ormounting and means of driving closely approximates the movement whichwould be given the human hand in reaching and seizing upon and drawingout the husks and cars should the work go be done in that manner. Bars30 are pivoted to the arms 21 a short distancefrom their hub ends,'wherethey are mounted on-the shaft 20. Said bars extend back over thehuskingrolls and substantially parallel therewith-,and 5 their rear endsrest upon suitable bearings,

as 31, at a point at or near the lower or outer ends of said rolls.These bars are each provided with several downwardly-projecting fingers32, which contain jackknife-joints, 10o so that in the forward movementof the bars said fingers will fold up and drag over the ears and husks,while in the rearward movement they will swing down and engage with saidears and husks and force them along down the husking-rolls. Thesefingers are fiat and broad on their faces and are pointed at their lowerends, (see Fig. 4,) so that the extreme points pass down between andclose to the hnsking-rolls, so that they are enabled to engage with theentire amount of husks and ears carried from said rolls and keep therolls in operation free from being clogged. The bars and theirconnections, together with the fingers thereon, constitute areciprocating structure, by means of which the work is continuously andefi'iciently accomplished.

Just below and immediately at the front of the feed-carrier 11 I place asecond rock-shaft 40, and upon this I mount a series of fingers 41. Onthe outer end of the rock-shaft 40 is an arm 42, and this in turn isconnected bya link 43 with the pitman 22. The result is that the shaft40 is rocked back and forth and the fingers 41 operate to shake up andlevel the corn and husks as they pass down through the husking-rolls,keeping the mass agitated and from becoming clogged. These armscooperate with the other parts of my invention in keeping the mass ofcorn in motion, so that the machine shall be able to continuously andefficiently operate.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, with the husking-rollsthereof, of a reciprocating frame arranged above said husking-rolls andcarrying fingers which extend down to near said rolls, said fingersbeing jointed and adapted to yield while the frame carrying them ismoving up the roll and thus pass over the husks and corn, but to be heldrigidly while the frame is passing down the rolls, and thus engage withand move the husks and corn, and means for reciprocating said frame.

2. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, with the husking-rollsthereof, of a rock-shaft mounted on the upper ends of swingingstandards, said standards, a crank, a pitman running from said crank toand rigidly connected With said rock-shaft, and fingers also rigidlymounted on said rock-shaft and adapted when actuated by said crank to becarried out into the path of the corn as it descends onto thehusking-rolls and engage with and draw said corn down said huskingrolls,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, of the husking-rolls, areciprocating structure arranged above said rolls, suitable means fordriving the same, and jointed fingers mounted on said structure andextending down into close proximity to said rolls, the joints in saidfinger being jackknifejoints, and means for reciprocating said frame,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, of the husking-rolls, arock-shaft, means for driving said rock-shaft, arms rigidly mounted onsaid rock-shaft, bars pivoted to said arms and extending back over saidllusking-rolls, and jointed fingers mounted on said bars.

5. The combinationfin a corn-husking machine, of the feeding devices,the huskingrolls, a rock-shaft situated at the point where the feedingdevices deliver to said huskingrolls, fingers thereon for keeping thecorn agitated and in motion as it descends from the feeding apparatus tothe husking-rolls, and suitable means for rocking said shaft about itsown axis and for oscillating said shaft about an external axis,substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, with the husking-rollsthereof, of a rock shaft arranged above said rolls and mounted inbearings on the ends of swinging standards, said swinging standards,cranks arranged in suitable relation to said rockshaft, a pitmanextending from said cranks to said rock-shaft, a second rock-shaft, armsrigidly connected thereto one or more of which extends down into thepath of ears of corn as they fall onto the husking-rolls and another ofwhich extends back over the pitman, and a link connecting said arm tosaid pitman, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a corn-husking machine, of the feeding apparatus,the snapping-rolls, the husking-rolls onto which the corn is deliveredafter it is snapped off the stalks, a rock-shaft situated at thedeliverypoint from the other mechanism to the husking-rolls having armsor fingers for agitating the corn as it descends, and reciprocating rodsextending lengthwise above the husking-rolls and provided with fingersfor accelerating the movement of the corn and husks down the rolls,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Newcastle,Indiana,this 15th day of January, A. D. 1902.

BENJ. H. 'LAWTER. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

ELLIs J. MORELAND, HENRY H. STUART.

